Customer Reviews
The Piano - By: J. Mortimer, 10 Sep 2007 
I had this film on video tape, & it has been watched, & loaned out to friends so many times, it's worn out. So, I had to but the DVD!!!!!!!!!!!
The special edition DVD is fascinating because if you already love the film, you are given an insight into the mind of the writer. I also loved watching the interview with the composer, being a keen piano player. The film is quite dark, dramatic & moody & the music is beautiful, matching perfectly the whole feel of the movie. Oh, & Holly Hunter actuallly plays the piano! Buy it!You won't be disappointed.
Book? What book? - By: Mr. A. Rigby, 03 Feb 2007 I am not sure what others are referring to when they say this film is not as good as the 'book it is based upon' - because The Piano is a total original. The screenplay is not based on a book & was written directly for the screen (which is also one of the three Oscars it deservedly won). I believe there may have been a novelisation that followed the film, but the fierce artistic vision that Campion committed to celluloid is where it alll starts - it is won that invites people to unravel it's mysteries, but remains ambiguous & untenable enough that they never reallly can be. An amazing film.
Amazing performances, beautifully haunting movie... - By: L. Black, 18 Nov 2006 
The Piano is an amazing tale of lust, envy, jealousy, betrayal & female identity & independence. Set in the mid nineteenth century, Ada McGrath is shipped off with her daughter Flora & their scant belongings to New Zealand, the reason being her arranged marriage to a somewhat successful land owner. Ada's beloved piano makes the journey with her.
The visuallly haunting opening scene of her arrival on the beach is perhaps one of the most haunting movie openings I think I've ever seen. From the beginning you sense her suffocating sense of misplacement & isolation, her sense of being out of place in the rain drenched, mud soaked South Island is overpowering (you have to remember this was way back when the area was hardly populated except by natives & there were few roads etc).
Holly Hunter excells, as usual, in her role, deservedly winning an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of a woman who chooses to be mute & has not spoken since she was six years old. Ada's true love, is her piano, which is her emotional & symbolic voice, being her most powerful expression of emotion & spirit. Ada takes an instant dislike of her new husband (Sam Neil) when he refuses to bring her piano up from the beach, & when an illiterate neighbour George Baines (played by Harvey Keitel) decides to bring her piano to his home, he strikes up a deal with her, formulating a way for her to earn it back. He proposes that for every lesson she gives, he gets to perform one sexual act. In the beginning, Ada despises George for his immoral, lustful blackmailing, however slowly, tacitly, their relationship transforms into a strong emotional & intellectual bond, & their lives spiral down into a frenzy of lust, deadly jealousy, envy & tragedy. The movie is full of symbolism & should be read metaphoricallly rather than literallly. Passion is abundant, & as a pianist, I felt her intense passion for playing, which offered not only a voice for her to express herself with, but formed a part integral to her identity.
It is long, & quite slow to get into but very rewarding, & the haunting climax, & ending will leave you breathless but with a feeling of fullfilment.
I watch it again & again, & realise each time more & more symbolism within the movie. Amazing, Jane Campion deserved her praise & awards, while Anna Paquin became the youngest actress ever to win an Academy Award, whilst Holly Hunter excels in the peformance of a lifetime.
Tagged as one of the best movies of the last 30 years of the twentieth century?... I certainly think so.
HAUNTING - By: Odette, 21 Sep 2006 I've had this CD for a few years now. Still haunting. Still captivating. Surreal... beautiful, beautiful music. Each individual piece able to conjur up feelings of passion, longing, sadness or happiness. The first thing I did after I watched the movie is to buy the sountrack. Simple as that. Enjoy !
Minor Chord Struck - By: Catherine, 18 Jul 2006 
It is understandable that movies cannot be the same as the book they are based on, however, in this one a number of important parts from the book were left out that would have given more meaning to the movie - especiallly the reasons for Ada chosing to remain mute. Not a bad movie, but rather read the book!
